MUSEUMS
The Crawford Art Gallery
The Crawford Art Gallery is housed in Cork’s former Custom House – an imposing red-brick structure erected in 1724 and a welcome juxtaposition to the modern glass façade of Cork Opera House next door. The building has been augmented many times since, with the most recent extension in 2000 – designed by Dutch architect Erick van Egeraat – bringing an additional exhibition wing for modern art. The impressive permanent collection gives a visual insight into themes that trace the city’s biography, from the life of a ‘merchant prince’ in 18th-century Cork to famine and emigration.
Cork Butter Museum
Even the dairy-averse will find the small but charming Cork Butter Museum a worthwhile diversion from the main tourist trail. Housed in a 19th-century market building in the residential community of Shandon, the museum presents the rarely told story of butter’s importance to the local and national economy. The museum is housed in part of what was once a giant distribution and processing centre for butter being exported to four continents at the height of production in the 19th century.
Cork City Gaol
Cork City Gaol is a sombre and moving museum experience. Although only a 30-minute walk from the city centre, the gaol is enveloped in tranquil and generous grounds. The austere stone structure first opened in 1824 and operated as a prison for 100 years. Countess Markievicz – the first woman elected to the British Parliament, although she did not take her seat – was incarcerated here in 1919 during the Irish War of Independence. The museum is incredibly informative, with the history of incarceration here contextualised within the wider historical and political context. Details of the everyday routes and routines of the prisoners and preserved signatures on the wall enrich the emotional resonance of the experience.
Cork Public Museum
The imposing Georgian property that now houses the Cork Public Museum was originally built in 1845 by the Beamish family – of brewing fame and fortune – in an area then termed ‘the shrubberies’. In the grounds of the sprawling Fitzgerald Park, this building was purchased by the city corporation for the Cork International Exhibition in 1902 and 1903. The museum holds an impressively diverse range of artefacts, from aesthetics including Cork silver and 18th-century costumes to a rich selection of displays on different aspects of the Irish resistance and path to independence. Visit the museum’s café to take advantage of exceptional views onto the River Lee.
Lifetime Lab at Old Cork Waterworks
Overlooking the waterworks weir on the River Lee, the Old Cork Waterworks supplied water to the city for centuries but is now home to the Lifetime Lab – an interactive museum experience focused on science and technology. Built from alternating Cork red sandstone and grey limestone, this Victorian building and tapered square tower have now been lovingly restored. Kids will love the exhibits, as well as summer camps and LEGO workshops hosted here as a means of engaging their interest in how the world around them works, and how they can be part of improving it.
Lewis Glucksman Gallery
The Lewis Glucksman Gallery is a striking modern structure on the lush green campus of University College Cork. Completed by O’Donnell & Tuomey Architects in 2004 and named Best Public Building by the Royal Institute of Architects the following year, the building is a remarkable frame for the art on show. A former banker from New York, Lewis Glucksman settled in Cobh, County Cork and his philanthropic efforts focused on developing Irish-American cultural relations, also establishing Glucksman Ireland House – the centre for Irish and Irish-American studies at NYU. This gallery aims to reach audiences of all different ages through initiatives like their Family Sundays and summer art clubs, where kids go to learn about art and architecture over the summer holidays.
MARKETS
The farmers’ markets
County Cork has an ever-increasing abundance of quality local producers, and the farmers’ markets in and around the city centre bring many of them together in one spot for your perusing pleasure. It’s worth noting that the small businesses that frequent the markets will occasionally have to take a week off, so do check individual websites and/or Instagram accounts for updates beforehand if you have your heart set on a particular treat.
Coal Quay Market
Following a €4m redevelopment, the pedestrianised area of Coal Quay allows plenty of space to browse and linger. This historic district is home to the building that once housed St. Peter’s Market – now The Bodega, which is a bar – aka the ‘Irish’ version of the beloved English Market. Held every Saturday morning, Coal Quay Market is especially good for fresh fruit, vegetables and flowers. Flow and comfort were priorities in the redesign of the space, with plenty of street benches to encourage chatting and people-watching. The fruit and veg on offer here are second to none, with dirt-clad carrots and multicoloured squash from local farmers putting tidy, uniform supermarket offerings to shame. You can also pick up creamy goat’s milk and crumbly cheese from Orchard Cottage Dairy Farm, or try fresh apple juice or small-batch cider vinegar from Mealagulla Orchard. For prepared goods, My Goodness Food certainly delivers on their promise of ‘food to make you feel good’ with a wide variety of raw vegan salads, smoothies and treats, as well as probiotic wonders such as kefir and kombucha.
Douglas Farmers’ Market
Also held on Saturday mornings, this farmers’ market just outside Douglas Village shopping centre is an ideal spot to while away a weekend morning. Douglas is one of the largest suburbs of Cork city, just a quick bus ride away. In 2016, this market expanded from mid-November onwards to host a Christmas market every Friday afternoon, so keep your eyes peeled for these if you’re in Cork for the festive period.
But first, coffee. Before you explore the rest of the market, stop by Badger & Dodo artisan coffee roasters based out of Fermoy in County Cork. Their seasonally rotating offerings reflect their focus on fresh crops – try the Summer Daze blend for floral notes and a hint of chocolate and pear. Another highlight is The Rocket Man, which started out at farmers’ markets in 2012 and now has two thriving brick-and-mortar salad and juice bars in the city. For a sinless pudding, the Bean Brownie Company makes ‘healthier baked goods’ by sneaking wholesome ingredients into their treats without compromising on taste. Treat yourself to one of their ‘wow pies’ – whoopie pies of chewy bean-based brownies filled with chocolate whey protein buttercream.
Mahon Point Farmers’ Market
Held in the car park of the ever-popular Mahon Point shopping centre, this Thursday market has been running for 12 years and continues to go from strength to strength, with around 50 stalls of gourmet goodies regularly pitching up. The spacious lot makes for a relaxed browsing experience, and it’s well worth the quick bus trip from the city centre if you need a mid-week market fix. Mahon lies just between the city centre and the airport, so this is also a great option for a last-minute brunch or gift shopping trip before catching a flight.
Mahon is the only market near the city centre currently frequented by Little Green Leaf, producers of vegan cheeses you would never guess are lacking in dairy – try the smoked garlic and black pepper cheddar. They even sell kits for you to make your own at home, and their beautiful packaging makes them very gift-able. Gubbeen is better known for their cheeses, but they also bring seasonal delights from their chemical-free garden, increasingly experimenting with fermented food and drinks. We recommend the small-batched brews of jamu – a nutrient-dense elixir supercharged with ginger, tamarind and turmeric.
The English Market
The English Market is somewhat hidden away, obscured from view except for a modest decorative entrance on Princes Street. However, you would struggle to find a Cork resident who doesn’t know it. The first stalls on the site referred to by this name were completed in 1788, but the Princes Street market addition, which brought the market’s layout closely in line with its current form, was finished in 1862. In its first century, the market mostly served the wealthy English settlers in the city, with a special constable and beagles on security during the Great Famine to keep the starving out.
During the 1900s, the market became increasingly more tailored to a mixed, working-class customer base, with cheaper cuts of meat and specialities such as drisheen (a type of blood pudding) on offer. Today, well-established multi-generational businesses anchor the space, such as the well-loved A. O’Reilly & Sons – who have been trading tripe and sausages here for around 90 years – or fifth-generation butchers Coughlan Meats, while an ever-evolving roster of new talent reflects Cork’s innovative foodie scene.
The social dynamics here give visitors an insight into the fabric of Cork’s vibrant community – stallholders are genuinely interested in passersby and happy to impart their wisdom, all peppered with Cork humour. This familiar and welcoming tone combined with the gastronomic delights on offer makes for an experience somehow greater than the sum of its parts, a must for any visitor to the city. In the lofty mezzanine, in the Farmgate cafe (in the picture below), you can sample the best of what’s on offer from the market in sympathetically restored surroundings while catching snippets of the traders’ banter wafting up from below.
Mother Jones Flea Market
If you get tired of food markets, Mother Jones Flea Market in the city’s newly branded Victorian Quarter is a stable-style weekend indoor market offering all the vintage goods your heart may desire. Each stall holder has their own niche, and these themed nooks cover everything from ditsy-print china to vinyl to comics to up-cycled furniture. The on-site cafe is an excellent spot to take a break if your purchases are weighing you down, and there’s a chance you might get treated to some free live music here too, as they sometimes hold jazz sessions on a Sunday or have local bands drop in. There are also special events; there have been céilís (traditional Irish group dances) held here as part of the East Cork Early Music Festival the past few years.
